PROVENCE – From Luberon to Camargue on horseback

Sunday

Riders are welcomed between 4pm and 7pm with a welcome drink. Introduction to the other participants and the week's programme, followed by dinner at the table d'hôte. Overnight stay in guest rooms.

Monday: Lauris - Mallemort

We ride down the southern flank of the Luberon, with its pine forests and cliff-lined landscapes, to the Durance river, which we cross before enjoying a pleasant picnic by the riverbank. After our break, we spend the afternoon trail riding along the canal that irrigates the valley's many crops, before returning to the park where our horses will stay for the night. Riders are transferred by minibus to guest houses in Lauris.

Tuesday: Mallemort - Eygalières

This morning, after meeting up with our horses, we set off across the plain and its orchards towards Lamanon, where a hearty picnic awaits us. In the afternoon, we ride towards the Alpilles, a superb limestone massif where the white cliffs contrast with the green pine forests. We arrive near Eygalières via the Saint-Sixte chapel. Overnight stay in guest rooms at the foot of the Alpilles.

Wednesday: Eygalières - Les Baux de Provence - Astouin

Through the Alpilles, along paths winding through pine forests, our horses take us on a journey of discovery through Van Gogh's landscapes. In the morning, we ride for four hours to the ancient site of Glanum, where we enjoy a picnic among the ruins. The horses are then loaded into the truck, and we continue on foot for a visit to the monastery of Saint-Paul de Mausole, where Vincent van Gogh was interned from 8 May 1889 to 16 May 1890. Transfer and discovery of Les Baux-de-Provence. Visit the village, then transfer by minibus to the heart of the Camargue. Overnight stay in a hotel, a 400-year-old building constructed on the remains of a 12th-century abbey.

Thursday: Astouin - Visit to a manade - Les Saintes Maries de la Mer

After an hour on horseback in the heart of the Camargue, we arrive at a manade. Mathieu, a passionate gardian, welcomes us in front of the enclosure of one of his herds of bulls. We accompany him on horseback to ‘acamp’ the bulls, that is, to push them into the marsh to a sorting enclosure. Then he tells us about the ‘course camarguaise’ (a type of bullfighting), breeding methods, traditions related to Camargue bulls, and then he sorts a few bulls in front of us. Picnic on the manade prepared by our assistant. We then set off again on horseback to the manade where the horses will be stabled for the night. Transfer to our hotel in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. After settling into the hotel, we have time to stroll through the village streets, visit the beach, or enjoy the hotel swimming pool, before dinner in a village restaurant and an evening in a lively bodega. Overnight stay at the hotel.

Friday: Les Saintes Maries de la Mer - Méjanes

Today, we spend the morning on the beach and have a picnic under a laupio (a typical Camargue shelter). In the afternoon, we'll set off for Méjanes along the Vacarès lagoon, enjoying the superb landscapes of the Camargue and its many pink flamingos. The trek ends in Méjanes, where the horses will be loaded onto the lorry and the riders transferred to Lauris for their last meal and night.

Saturday

End of the horse riding trek in Provence after breakfast. Free transfer at 9.30 am to Aix en Provence TGV station or Marseille airport.

This itinerary is provided for information purposes only. Our guide may adapt it depending on the season and weather conditions.